Importance of Support Services for On- and Off-Campus Graduate Students

Galardi, Karen M.

Online Submission, Ed.D. Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University

The number of adult graduate students continues to increase in America's higher education institutions. The needs of the adult learner are diverse, and it is a challenge to institutions to meet the needs of this increasing student population. Institutions have responded by offering programs of study both on campus and expanded program offerings at off-campus locations. However, offering programs at off-campus locations brings a new set of challenges to institutions when trying to meet the support service needs of the adult, graduate student population. One way to address these challenges was to identify what graduate students valued and what services this student population required, which directly supported and facilitated their educational endeavors. This study identified the support service needs of adult students enrolled in graduate programs on campus and at two off-campus locations, and determined if there was a difference based on gender, program of study, and program location. Off-campus centers were becoming an increasing occurrence in the American higher education setting. Identifying the support service needs of the adult learner enrolled in graduate programs at varying university locations was imperative to better serve graduate students' educational needs. Shaping the support services offerings to meet the needs of graduate students on campus and at off-campus locations created a mutually beneficial experience for both the adult learner and for members of the university faculty, and staff supporting the graduate student population. Appended are: (1) Student Opinion Survey; (2) Questions; (3) E-Mail Prenotice Letter to Faculty; (4) Introduction to Faculty; (5) Cover Letter to Students; and (6) Respondents' Comments and Suggestions Section. (Contains 13 tables and 1 figure.)